Squares, Triangles, and Circles

Another easy idea to encourage student thinking about a text is the Squares, Triangle, and Circles strategy. As students read, listen to a lecture, or view a film, they should look for important ideas from the text/discussion/film and continually think of questions those ideas engender. This mnemonic is one way:
Students would write down notes for—
• Four ideas that square with my thinking (Square)
• Three important angles (points, ideas) from the text/discussion (Triangle)
• One question that keeps going around in my head (Circle)
You could design an graphic organizer if you like, or just tell them Squares, Triangles, and Circles, and the students just jot down the 4, 3 and 1 thoughts.